The acquisition or merger (depending on which divide you belong) of Diamond Bank to Access Bank reverberated across the banking world. Many called the younger Dozie a traitor and a squanderer for handing over what took his father years to build to other people.
They pointed him to Otunba Sumbomi Balogun, founder of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and his son, Ladi Balogun, who built FCMB from ground zero up. He retired and handed over to his son who successfully navigated the bank through murky waters and also retired without a dent on his reputation.
While the gossips were swirling around concerning the motive behind Uzoma’s actions, the junior Dozie was being pulled in another direction.
How Uzoma changed his course of study
“I later went to the University of Reading where I studied chemistry. After that, I went to the University College London to obtain a master’s degree in organic chemistry. We worked really hard to develop products that would help fight a number of diseases,” he recounted in an interview, reproduced by Nairametrics.
That Diamond Bank did not liquidate under him is a commendable feat that many find interesting. He was also very wise and shrewd in handing over his father’s hard-earned work to a profitable a institution. Access Bank remains the biggest bank in Nigeria by customer base and asset.
He has been lured into the fintech world where he continues with banking but on another pedestal.
It runs in the family
Legit.ng had reported that some say don’t mix business with family, but not the Dozie, Adenuga and Hassan-Odukale families – to them, the foundation of a successful venture is one that is supported by a family tree. Family is everything to these households. The bond they have goes beyond sharing a name.
